SANA'A: According to Yemen state TV President Ali Abdullah Saleh travelled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upon an express invitation from King Abdullah who wished for the embattled Yemeni president to attend the power-transfer signature ceremony in Riyadh. An al-Arabiya reporter announced that sources close to the Saudi government confirmed that Saleh will upon the signature of the much debated GCC brokered proposal choose to remain in Riyadh on a permanent basis. After yesterday's miss, despite claims that an accord had been eventually reached, several figures from the opposition assured the press that they were only finalizing the last details and that both parties, the regime and the JMP, were in agreement. Tensions were running high yesterday as talks of major rifts within the regime and the Opposition were said to have occurred as different factions had different views on what to do next in regards to the revolution. Some within the presidential palace revealed under cover of anonymity that several high ranking officials were pressuring Saleh into signing the deal as they warned him that a “coup d'état” was becoming a very real threat and that his window of opportunity for a timely exit was running thin. Although many Yemenis were relieved upon hearing the news, many protesters are still deeply unhappy as the opposition went against their wishes and granted Saleh immunity from prosecution. Since most of the country is demanding that the autocrat be taken to the International Criminal Court Yemen might yet have to witness some upheavals as politicians will have to face public anger. The GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani is expected in Riyadh to attend the signing ceremony, alongside foreign diplomats and Saudi officials. Saleh is expected to sign the GCC proposal today in Riyadh, while his VP and the ruling party are set to sign the implementation mechanisms crafted by UN special envoy the Yemen, Jamal Benomar. BM
